Corsairs

History

After the end of the Great War, a ”Regionalist movement" gains popularity in America following the Spanish influenza pandemic, rallying behind an isolationist platform. Meanwhile, President Wilson’s authority was undercut when Prohibition failed as a constitutional amendment leaving the matter to be decided on the state level. The nation soon became polarized between “wet” and “dry” states and checkpoints became a common sight on state borders to stop the flow of alcohol into “dry” states. As the decade progressed, state governments seized more authority, encroaching into areas formerly the responsibility of the federal government, and formed regional power blocs.

In 1920, an outbreak of a deadly strain of influenza prompted states to close their borders, further dividing the Union. Though not as deadly as the 1918 pandemic, the epidemic had immense political fallout, bolstering regionalist “strong state” views and decreasing voter turnout in the 1920 elections. Shortly after the Wall Street Crash of 1920, Texas seceded from the United States, forming the Republic of Texas on January 1, 1921. New York was the next state to secede, and persuaded Pennsylvania and New Jersey to merge with it to form the Empire State. California followed suit, creating the Nation of Hollywood, as did Utah, which had already come in conflict with the federal government after the establishment of the Smith Law in 1922 that made Mormonism the state religion. Washington, essentially powerless, was unable to stop the country from falling apart. The federal government made its last stand against the ’People’s Revolt’ of the bread basket states. When the US Army was defeated by the People’s Collective forces in 1923, the fate of the United States was sealed, and the rest of the country dissolved into independent nations by the end of 1925.

Though not directly affected by the Texas Secession, Canada found itself dragged down by the collapse of the U.S., with Quebec seceding in 1924 and the rest of the provinces siding with their nascent southern neighbors: New Brunswick and parts of Quebec joined the Maritime Provinces of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont; Newfoundland joined Quebec; Manitoba joined the People’s Collective as did parts of Saskatchewan, with the Lakota nation laying claim to the rest; British Columbia merged with Oregon and Washington in Pacifica; and Alaska claimed the Yukon territories. The core of the former Canadian government established the Protectorate of Ontario. While Ottawa’s authority technically extends to Alberta and the Northwest Territories, these areas are mostly no-man’s land, while Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island comprise a self-governing body, commonly referred to as the Northumberland Association.

In 1925, the Territorial Government of Hawaii was left defenseless in the wake of the fragmenting country and was overthrown in favor of the monarchy with Jonah Kūhiō as its king. Likewise, America’s territorial holdings overseas were surrendered following the nation’s formal collapse and the formation of the Federal Republic of Columbia on March 1, 1925.

The resulting nation-states that formed were no longer unified — distrust between them strained diplomatic relations to the point that several small-scale wars broke out.

After the dissolution of the United States, the country’s interstate railroad and highway systems fell into disrepair or were sabotaged as they crossed hostile borders. Consequently, ground-based vehicles such as the locomotive and automobile were replaced by aircraft such as the airplane and the zeppelin as the leading mode of transportation in North America. Europe soon followed this fascination with aviation to make its own strides into the new, aerially-dominated market. Gangs of air pirates formed in turn to plunder airborne commerce. Although air militias formed to counter the threat, rivalries between the nations of North America reduced their capacity to effectively address this issue, and even encouraged the countries to sponsor pirates as privateers so as to direct their illegal operations against opposing nations. In Europe, privateers and other mercenary groups have been adopted widely by nations who wish to avoid another world war, especially in the case of the Spanish Civil War.

By the end of 1927, North America is a “hotbed of conflict,” with multiple pirate gangs and air militias battling for control of the skies. Europe is no better, as Germany jockeys for power while France and Britain look the other way. The Russian States continue to fight their civil war, which threatens to spill over into the Eastern European nations and Alaska. Asia, too, is on the brink, with Japan’s recent invasion of China and the continuation of the bloody civil war in Australia.